Testing is a major part of the production process for semiconductor devices, such as chips and memory modules, panels of memory modules, and printed circuit boards (PCBs). The testing stage of the semiconductor device production process identifies faulty devices and possibly entire faulty batches of devices before they reach the marketplace. The testing stage, however, can also become a bottleneck in the production process if performed inefficiently, especially for devices that require time consuming testing such as flash memory chips or modules containing flash memory chips. Thus, it is important to have a high throughput at the testing stage.
Semiconductor devices are generally carried from the production line in matrix trays, which are basically containers that hold a given number of semiconductor devices in place during transport. However, at the testing stage, they are removed from the matrix trays and inserted into sockets or the like that connect the devices to the testing equipment. After completion of the testing, the devices that passed the test are replaced into the matrix trays. This removal and replacement process takes time and decreases the testing throughput. Such a process is also expensive to implement.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more efficient semiconductor device testing apparatus.